Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Ready or Not, Here it Comes!

Our man Bremer in Iraq has had his meeting with his bosses and the word is out. Regardless of the situation in Iraq, they want to be able to hand over Iraq to the Iraqis quickly. In time for the election.

Nobody has written the story that baldly - yet. But if I were a betting man, I'd have my money on the line that something very close to that was said in Bremer's meeting. From the BBC:

"He [President Bush] remains steadfast in his determination to defeat terrorism in Iraq and steadfast in his determination to give the Iraqis authority over their country - authority they are already beginning to assume very quickly in the area of security and in the area of running the Iraqi ministries," Mr Bremer told a news conference. [Emphasis is mine - Ed.]

Is it me or does this also sound suspiciously like Bremer is blaming the increased security issues on the fact that the Iraqis are already assuming responsibility "in the area of security?"

Anyway, while the actual intentions or plans (if any) of BushCo remain inscrutable, it certainly looks, from the outside, that they want desperately to set up an end-game where during the run-up to Election 2004 Bush can proudly point to returning soldiers and an established (if under siege) government in Iraq. What will happen after that is anybody's guess. Perhaps the Iraqi government, a suitable period of time after the election, will make an "official" request that the U.S. send in the military to help out a new friend in the Middle East.

I wish these thoughts didn't go through my mind after every news cycle - but while the past is not a perfect guide to the future, it is the only guide we have.